Ornamental snap fasteners



April 6, 1965 P. B. JENSEN 3,176,361

ORNAMENTAL SNAP FASTENERS Filed June '7, 1963 i i i r 3,176,361 ORNAMENTAL SNAP FASTENERS Philip B. Jensen, Naugatuck, Conn., assignor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Filed June 7, 1963, Ser. No. 286,253 3 Claims. (Cl. 24-90) This invention deals with an ornamental snap fastener and the method of making the same.

It is well-known that pompoms consisting of cotton or other fibrous strands are widely used as ornaments on childrens clothing and other articles. These pompoms consist of a multiplicity of strands, in the form of a bun dle, held together tightly by a retaining ring with the ends of the strands fiuifed up and flaring out on opposite sides ofthe ring. Usually the retaining ring is a metal wire, although other materials may be used. If the ring is located centrally of the strands, the pompom may assume the shape of a ball, but it may be located nearer one end than the otherin which case, the flared portion will be of greater diameter on one side than on the other.

The object of this invention is to utilize such a pompom as an ornament in connection with a snap fastener and to provide a construction and method whereby it may be economically assembled and firmly held without requiring a separate attaching operation.

Another object is to provide an improved ornamental snap fastener and process of the kind described wherein the strands of the tuft or pompom are not pushed away or broken from the assembly.

Another object is to provide an improved ornamental snap fastener in which the attaching element has a head surrounded by tufted material giving the appearance of a central eye which may be of contrasting color.

' My invention is useful as a part of a normal snap fastener installation where the fastener element carrying the ornament is secured to a garment or the like, by the same securing means which holds the ornament. It is also useful as a removable ornament, in which case, the tufted ornament provided by the pompom is firmly attached to a snap fastener element which can be removably attached at any desired position on a garment where mating snap fastener elements can be applied.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown for purposes of illustration, one of the embodiments which the invention may assume in practice, together with two modifications thereof. In the drawing:

' FIG. 1 is a cross-section through a snap fastener installation embodying my invention;

7 FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the same;

FIG. 3 is an elevation view with parts in section, showing my novel method of making the snap fastener combination;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing an intermediate stage of the method;

FIG. 5 shows the attaching process in its final stage; FIG. 6 is a horizontal section through a pompom; FIG. 7 is a section view through a removable ornament utilizing my invention; and

inwardly as indicated at 12, and provides a hollow space United States Patent 0 3,175,351 Patented Apr. 6, 1965 of conical shape opening through the outer face of the base 10. The opening is of constricted diameter as compared to that of the space inwardly of the opening.

The pompom used in my invention may be of the ballshape heretofore described, comprising a multiplicity or bundle of strands 13 surrounded by and held tightly with a retaining ring 14 intermediate the ends of the strands. Such strands may be of suitable fibrous materials, such as cotton or wool, and may be described as extending axially in the region of the ring and flaring outwardly on opposite sides of the ring. This is accomplished by a known flufiing process so that the general effect is that of a soft fluffy ball which completely conceals the retaining ring.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the pompom is secured with the snap fastener to a piece of supporting material 15, such as a garment or the like, and the parts are all held together by a single attaching device. This consists of a tack having a head 16 and a shank 17 which extends axially through the ring 14 of the pompom and has its end upset as indicated at 18, inside the hollow bulbous head 11.

The method by which the assembly is made is shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5the positions of the parts being inverted as compared to FIGS. 1 and 2. The stud element of the snap fastener is held by movable jaws 19 and 20 and the tack is held by similar movable jaws 21 and 22. These latter jaws 21 and 22 are preferably concave at their upper surface 23 so that the pompom may rest in these surfaces.

The position of the pompom on the jaws and tack is important and an experienced operator can detect the direction of the lay of the stands and position of the ring so that the pompom can be located with the retaining ring 14 substantially concentric with and substantially parallel to the base 10 of the fastener element. The angular position of the ring, of course, does not have to be exact but can be described as substantially parallel, or in the illustration substantially horizontal.

With a tack head resting on the anvil 25, the plunger 26 is moved downwardly to engage the fastener element and it will here be noted that the end of the plunger 26 has a recess 27 which is shaped to conform to the bulbous head, and it particularly has a small projection 28 adapted to fit against and support the dimpled end 12 of the bulbous head 11. As is well-known in the art of attaching machines, the jaws 19 and 20 will move down and at the proper time, will swing away from the fastener element and the same is true of the jaws 21 and 22 which hold the tack.

In the intermittent stage of FIG. 4, jaws 19 and 20 have moved down to press against the material 15 and start to compress the pompom across the concave surface 23. The point of the tack shank is penetrating between the strands of the pompom and at the final stage shown in FIG. 5, the retaining jaws will have moved away and the sharp end of the tack will be upset inside the bulbous head 11 of the fastener element. Since the tack when passing through the pompom is relatively sharp and moves in the same direction as the strands where theyare held tightly by the retaining ring, there is no pulling out or punching out of the strand material. The fibers will, of course, compress tightly in the region of the ring but flare out around the head of the tack so that the effect as seen in FIG. 2 is that of an eye at the center, surrounded by an annulus 29 of fluffy material which may have a color contrasting with the material 15 and also with the color of the tack head 16.

The application of the invention to a removable ornament as shown in FIG. 7, is made by the same process except that the support material 15 is omitted and corresponding numbers indicate the same parts as described I in connection with FIGS[ 1 to 5. Thisprovides a device which can be used to decorate a garment or other article,

- fi ed in claim; 1togetherwith V 1 terial arranged between said tuftfand said fastener element base and wherein said securing means attaches said and at the same time allow the ornamentto-be' removed .as for cleaning, or to be'r'eplaced' by differentonesi fThis merely requires that thegarmentfbe-providedwith mat- [ing parts" of snap fastener elements; If the removable? ornament carries the stud portion of the'snap. fastener,

then it is only necessary'to attach the socket elements atv those places Where ornaments arewanted.

' FIG. 8 shows a modification in the form of-an unsym- '1 metrical pompom which has already been; referred to briefly. Here the "bundle of strands; is cut so that the fibers on one side ofthe ring'are longer than thoseon'the other; the long side being'indicated' by the numeral 30' and vthe shortby 31. This gives what may be called more of a' button appearance thanthat of aballandit might have the advantage in my method of attaching that the I an inexperienced operator could moreeasily detect location and arrangement of the'ring,

What I claim is: it j 7 1. 1m an-.ornamental snap fastener,'theucombination of a I (a) a snap fastener element having a base and a. hollow projection extending inwardly of saidvbase, the hollow space of said projection opening through the' outer face of said base;

(b) atuft consisting of a bundle of, fibrous strands 7 having a'retaining ring surrounding said strands in-.

termediate the ends thereof wherein the'free' ends of'said strands'flare out on opposite sides of said ring;

a d. a t V r r 7 g c) securing means comprising a tackhaving ahead bearingagainst the sideof said tuft'opposite saidrbaser of the fastener: element and a ,shanksextendingv through said tuft and ring inthetsa'me general direction' as said strandsinthe regionof said ring,- the inner end of said shank being upset-inside said hollow projection whereby thestr'ands of said'tuft'are compressed tightly in the-region of said ring so that j :the h ad fsaid, tack forms an eye surrounded b t tuft material; Y a V 2. In an ornamental snap fastener, the cornbinationldetuftand fastener element to said supporting material.

3. In an ornamental snap fastener, the combination of (a) a} snap fastener stud element having abase flange and a hollow bulbous head projecting'inwardly of said base,;the hollow space inside said head opening outwardly through said base flange, such opening being ofsmallerdiameter than-that of said space inwardlyof said flange; V

(b) atuft consisting-of a bundle of fibrous strands having a retaining ring surrounding said strands in- I termediate the endsthereof-wherein the free'ends of said strandsfiare out on opposite sides of said ring; (0) securing means comprising a tack having a head bearingagainst the side of said tuft opposite said base' by the tuft material v a Y I References Cited by the Examiner *UNITED STATES PATENTS 432,878" 7/90- Hutchinson et a1. 24"90 892,036 6/08 Emmert 300.21 X 1,179,586 4/16. Werner. V i

1,395,033 10/21... Bowers 161 -9 1,664,582 v4/28. Waldes- 24- 95 X ,2 242,352 5/4'1'1Fenton'. a. A 2,589,692 ,7 3/52 "Heuricksen' 218--5 ig-806,313, 9/57 "James-.' 161-'10 i 2,986,790 V 6/61 Silvertet al. 24+-95 FOREIGN PATENTS' 510,236; 10/30 -Germany.

' DONLEY JQSTOCKING, Primary Examiner a .piece J of 1 supporting ma-v 

1. IN A ORNAMENTAL SNAP FASTENER, THE COMBINATION OF (A) A SNAP FASTENER ELEMENT HAVING A BASE AND A HOLLOW PROJECTION EXTENDING INWARDLY OF SAID BASE, THE HOLLOW SPACE OF SAID PROJECTION OPENING THROUGH THE OUTER FACE OF SAID BASE; (B) A TUFT CONSISTING OF A BUNDLE OF FIBROUS STRANDS HAVING A RETAINING RING SURROUNDING SAID STRANDS INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF WHEREIN THE FREE ENDS OF SAID STRANDS FLARE OUT ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID RING; AND, (C) SECURING MEANS COMPRISING A TACK HAVING A HEAD BEARING AGAINST THE SIDE OF TUFT OPPOSITE SAID BASE OF THE FASTENER ELEMENT AND A SHANK EXTENDING THROUGH SAID TUFT AND RING IN THE SAME GENERAL DIRECTION AS SAID STRANDS IN THE REGION OF SAID RING, THE INNER END OF SAID SHANK BEING UPSET INSIDE SAID HOLLOW PROJECTION WHEREBY THE STRANDS OF SAID TUFT ARE COMPRESSED TIGHTLY IN THE REGION OF SAID RING SO THAT THE HEAD OF SAID TACK FORMS AN EYE SURROUNDED BY THE TUFT MATERIAL. 